Girdle and method

ABSTRACT

A KNITTED GRIDLE HAVING TWO LEGS, EACH OF WHICH HAS A STOCKING SUPPORTING PORTION HAVING VERTICALLY SPACED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY EXTENDING SERIES OF BARE ELASTIC YARN FOR ENGAGING AND SUPPORTING STOCKING TOPS DURING WEAR.

Dec. 7, 1971 s. c. SAFRIT mp 3,625,029

GIRDLE AND METHOD 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 2, 1970 INVENTORS. SAM C. SAFRIT BY KENNETH E SMITH w (LCM/K ATTORNEYS.

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4 QWPIJAIJQU 2 W Dec. 7, 197] s, c, s rr ETAL GIRDLE AND METHOD 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 2, 1970 INVENTORS. SAM C. SAFRIT KENNETH E. SMITH BY I W? Z&a(.

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,625,029 GIRDLE AND METHOD Sam C. Safrit, Winston-Salem, and Kenneth E. Smith,

Rural Hall, N.C., assiguors to Separates, Ltd., Winston- Salem, N.C.

Continuation of application Ser. No. 729,261, May 15, 1968. This application Jan. 2, 1970, Ser. No. 130 Int. Cl. D04b 1/24 U.S. Cl. 66-172 E 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A knitted girdle having two legs, each of which has a stocking supporting portion having vertically spaced circumferentially extending series of bare elastic yarn for engaging and supporting stocking tops during wear.

This application is a continuation of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 729,261, filed May 15, 1968, now U.S. Pat. 3,487,662 issued Jan. 6, 1970.

In recent years garments known as panty hose have become very much in demand by women wearing high style clothing. The demand has arisen, in part, because womens dresses and skirts tend to become shorter and expose more leg than heretofore.

Panty hose usually comprise an integrally made garment composed of a girdle or panty portion and two stocking portions. (The term panty as used herein is used as the equivalent of the term girdle). Such garments, while increasing in popularity and providing highly sheer, elegant and most comfortable wear, suffer from a disadvantage due to the fact that if a run or other damage develops in one of the stocking portions, the entire garment must be replaced.

To overcome this problem, attempts have been made to design panty hose whereby the stocking portions are separable from the girdle or panty portion, so that if a run occurs, or a stocking is otherwise damaged, it can be replaced without discarding the entire garment. Examples of such garments are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,249,110; 2,253,599; 3,359,571 and 3,362,029. However, such attempts have not been successful in practice. Either the resulting garments have failed to provide adequate stocking support, or have proven to be uncomfortable during wear by reason of the character of the stocking support provided.

Accordingly, the primary object of this invention is to provide a new and improved girdle panty which is provided with elastic fabric means to engage and support the stockings during wear.

A further object is to provide a knitted girdle panty garment for supporting a pair of stockings during wear which incorporates elastic areas having spaced yarn floats for engaging the stockings during wear.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a new and improved panty hose garment having separable girdle or panty and stocking portions whereof the girdle panty supports the stockings during wear by knitted elastic fabric means which provides a mild (gentle, but secure support for the stockings.

Other objects and attendant advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following specification wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the girdle or panty portion of the invention, with the elastic areas thereo shaded.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, schematic stitch diagram of the elastic fabric, knit on a weft knitting machine.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary schematic section looking in the direction of the arrows III-III of FIG. 1, showing the elastic areas shaded.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a stocking portion of the invention.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate steps in the manufacture of the girdle or panty portion.

FIG. 7 is a schematic stitch diagram of an alternative construction of the elastic fabric, knit on a weft knitting machine.

FIG. 8 is a schematic stitch diagram showing a second alternative construction of the elastic fabric, knit on a Raschel or warp knitting machine.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary, schematic illustration of a sheet of warp knitted fabric, with the outline of a panty or girdle blank indicated thereon.

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9, illustrating an alternate type of panty or girdle blank.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a girdle or panty made from panty blanks of the type illustrated in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective illustrating the invention during wear.

Throughout the specification and claims hereof, the term stretch yar-n shall indicate any of the well known synthetic, thermoplastic, heat-settable yarns which have capacity to elongate and contract, but have virtually no power in contraction. Such yarns include Agilon, Cantrec 880 or 881, false twist S and Z yarns, S and Z twist yarns of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,771,733 and Duotwist yarn of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,091,908.

The term elastic yarn as used herein shall mean any yarn having an inherent capacity to elongate under tension, and having an inherent tendency to contract from an elongated condition with a degree of power in contraction. Such yarns include rubber and spandex yarns, both bare and covered.

The girdle or panty 9 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a waistband 10, a body portion 11 and two leg portions 12, each of which terminate in a turned edge or welt 13. Each leg 12 has an annular or circumferentially extending band of elastic fabric 14 disposed adjacent its turned edge.

The fabric of the panty portion may be knit on a ladies multi feed circular hosiery knitting machine. Preferably, the garment is knit throughout with one of the many well known stretch yarns. In the elastic areas 14, a bare elastic yarn such as spandex, is incorporated with the stretch yarn. The stocking supporting portions 14 may be initially stretched substantially in the vertical direction because, as indicated, stretch yarn comprises the base fabric. Thus, when the vertically stretched portions 14 are placed about the stocking tops they subsequently contract in the vertical direction to thereby engage folds of the stocking top between the vertically spaced elastic gripper yarns 17.

A preferred form of weft knitted elastic fabric, composed of stretch yarn 16 and bare elastic yarn -17, is shown in FIG. 2. The elastic yarn 17 is knit in every fourth 'wale W and is floated across the three intervening wales to form floats F. Of course, the elastic yarn 17 need not be disposed in all courses of the elastic fabric areas 14, but may be incorporated in alternate courses, or every third or fourth course, etc., as desired. Similarly, if desired, the elastic yarn 17 may be knit in alternate wales or every third wale, or otherwise as desired, as explained in U.S. Pat. No. 2,261,595. In any event, the floats F are spaced coursewise and walewise throughout fabric areas 14.

FIG. 3 is a schematic section taken along the arrows III-II'I of FIG. 1. The elastic area 14, knit of the fabric of FIG. 2 is shown as shading in FIG. 3. If desired, elastic yarn 17 also maybe knit in the turned edges 13 of the legs 12 of the girdle or panty garment, as indicated by the shading 18 in FIG. 3. The turned edge is secured by a seam of stitching 19 in any well known manner, or may be knit as a welt in the usual manner employed in ladies circular hosiery knitting machines.

The stocking 21 shown in FIG. 4 has its open, upper end formed with a welt or turned edge 22 in the usual manner. Spaced from the turned edge of the stocking is a circumferentially extending elastic area 23 knit of a fabric like that shown in FIG. 2.

If desired, the fabric forming the turned edge 22 of stocking 21 may incorporate elastic yarn in the manner illustrated in FIG. '2. In such event, the cross section view of the upper fabric portion of stocking 21 would be similar to that shown schematically in FIG. 3.

The manufacture of the girdle or panty 9 is similar to the technique disclosed in US. Pat. No. 2,826,760. First, two tubular fabric portions 24, like that illustrated in FIG. '5, are knit. Each has a lower portion terminating in an annular elastic area 14 and a turned edge 13. Two such tubes 24 and 24' then are each cut along a Wale of the fabric from the top thereof to a point just above the be ginning of the elastic areas 14, as shown in FIG. 6. Thereupon, the opposing cut edges 25-25, 26-26 of the two tubular portions 24, 24' are joined together by sewing in any well known manner, producing seams 2'7, 27' (FIG. 1). If desired, a crotch piece 28 may be inserted between the two tubular portions 24, 24'. The waistband then is added to produce the garment shown in FIG. 1.

If desired, the elastic yarn in the elastic fabric areas 14 and 23 may be interlaced in the fabric, as shown in FIG. 7, in the manner taught in US. Pat. No. 2,344,350. FIG. 7 shows elastic yarn '17 interlaced so as to pass behind alternate wales W of stretch yarn 16 to form spaced floats F. However, any well known interlacing arrangement may be employed, e.g., where the yarn floats pass :behind two, three or even more consecutive wales of the fabric.

The fabric of girdle or panty -9 and stocking 21 may be warp knit rather than weft knit. FIG. 8 shows a preferred warp knit elastic fabric made on a Raschel knitting machine having a single needle bar and five yarn guide bars. This fabric incorporates stretch yarn 16" and walewise extending bare elastic yarn strands 17 forming spaced floats F. The elastic yarn strands 17" are laid in the fabric and zigzag back and forth across their respective wales, thereby disposing the floats F of each strand in staggered relationship walewise of the fabric.

FIG. 9 illustrates schematically a flat sheet of warp knit fabric from which girdle or panty blanks 29 would be cut and then sewn together in pairs to produce the girdle or panty 9 of FIG. 1. The courses of this fabric extend in the direction of the arrows C and the wales in the direction of the arrows W".

In FIG. 9, the broken lines 30' and 30a indicate the outside edges of each individual blank 29. Two such cut blanks are superimposed and sewn together to produce the finished girdle or panty. The shaded areas 31 and 32 indicate walewise extending elastic fabric areas, which incorporate plural elastic yarn strands 17". In making a girdle or panty blank, the fabric is cut along lines to provide coursewise extending cut edges 30 and 30a and also along lines 33 and 34 to provide walewise extending cut edges intermediate, respectively, of the elastic areas 31 and 32. When thus cut, the portion of elastic area 32 of blank 29 becomes, in the finished girdle or panty 9, an elastic area 14. The elastic area 35 of blank 29', comprising a part of elastic area 31, becomes a portion of the waistband 10 of panty 9. For making the panty or girdle shown in FIGS. 1 and 12, the upper portions of edges 30 and 30a of two blanks 29 are sewn from edge 33 for a distance equal to that between the top waistband -10 of the garment and the crotch thereof to form a front seam 66 (FIG. 12) and a rear seam which is not shown in FIG. 12, but which is like the seam 27' in FIG. 1.

The foregoing attachments form the body of the girdle or panty of FIG. 12. The legs 70 and 71 are formed by sewing together the remaining unattached portions of edges 30 and 30a of each blank 29 to form a seam 67 in each leg. The seam of leg 70 is not shown. If desired, a gusset 68 can be incorporated in the crotch. Of course, if desired, knitted elastic band 31 may be omitted from the fabric of FIG. 9', in which case a separate elastic band 10 would be added to the fabric to complete it.

It will be noted, from FIG. 9, that the individual girdle or panty blanks extend coursewise of the fabric. The blanks are disposed in alternate inverted order across the fabric, so that alternate elastic bands, such as bands 32, provide elastic areas 14 for the leg portions of adjacent blanks, while the intervening elastic areas 31 provide waistband portions for adjacent blanks.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show an alternate girdle or panty made from warp knit fabric. In this case, the girdle or panty blanks 36 are cut so as to shape the individual leg portions 37 and 38. The fabric is knit with walewise extending elastic areas 31' and 32' which are cut, respectively, along intermediate lines 33' and 34' to provide walewise extending cut edges. Two such blanks 36 are superimposed and joined together along their opposing course-wise extending cut edges 30' and 30a in any suitable manner, to produce side seams 39 and 40. Panty 41 shown in FIG. 11 would have the same elastic areas 14 as the panty of FIG. 1, and the same elastic band 10, which may either be 'knitted fabric from elastic fabric area 31', or a separate band sewn to the waist of the fabric. It is to be noted that, in cutting blank 36 of FIG. 10, it is necessary to slit the fabric course-wise in the crotch area 42 to provide opposing intermediate cut edges and to attach such upper intermediate edges also to corresponding edges of the second blank to produce leg portions 37 and 38. The elastic areas '14 in FIGS. 11 and 12 each incorporate circumferentially extending elastic frictional gripper yarn floats.

FIG. 12 illustrates a preferred garment of this invention during wear. It will be noted that the elastic fabric portions 14 of the girdle or panty 9 overlap the fabric portions 23 of the stockings 21. By reason of the numerous coursewise spaced and walewise spaced floats F of bare elastic yarn, which frictionally engage the portions 23 of the stockings, the stockings are supported and maintained on the leg in a wrinkle-free condition during wear. The elastic yarns in the fabric portions 14, by reason of their floats F, provide a mild, gentle, but secure support for the stockings 21.

Preferably, the yarn floats of the girdle or panty portion and (if any) of the stocking portions of the garment are disposed on the inside of the fabric, as illustrated by the broken away portion of girdle or panty 9 in FIG. 12. However, the invention works equally well if the floats of elastic yarn in the fabric portions 14 of girdle or panty 9 are disposed on the outside of the fabric, and the stockings 21, with the floats disposed on the inside of the fabric thereof, are pulled over the leg portions of the girdle or panty. Alternatively, the floats in the elastic portions 14 of the girdle or panty may be disposed on the inside of the fabric, while floats in the elastic portions 23 of the stockings may be disposed on the outside of the fabric. In such event, the floats of the respective portions will be in opposing contiguous relationship when the garment is worn.

It will be understood, of course, in weft knit fabric, in order to dispose yarn floats to the outside of the fabric, it is necessary to turn the fabric inside out. FIG. 2 shows the face or outside of the fabric, with the floats disposed on the inside thereof.

If desired, the elastic yarn 17 may be omitted altogether from the stocking portions 21, and plain knit stockings may be worn and supported by the girdle or panty portion 9.

We claim:

1. A warp knit girdle for frictionally supporting stockings comprising:

(a) first and second Warp fabric blanks having edges connected to form legs and a tubular body portion including a crotch;

(b) each of said legs having a seam extending downwardly from the crotch;

(e) each of said legs incorporating a circumferentially extending elastic gripper band knit to the lower edge of said leg for frictionally engaging and supfrictional gripper yarn laid in said warp fabric and extending circumferentially of said body.

2. A girdle for frictionally supporting stockings comprising:

(a) a body portion and (b) legs attached to the body portion,

() said legs each including at least one warp knit stocking supporting portion integrally knit therewith comprising a base fabric knitted of stretch yarn having circumferentially extending elastic frictional gripper yarn floats incorporated therein in selected wales during knitting so that, upon wearing, said supporting portions may be initially stretched substantially in the vertical direction and placed about the top of a stocking and, thereafter, the supporting portion will contract in said vertical direction to thereby engage folds of the stocking top between the elastic gripper yarn floats.

3. A method of manufacturing a girdle for frictionally supporting stockings comprising:

(a) knitting a pair of flat warp fabric blanks, said knitting including the step of forming in each blank a walewise extending stocking gripper band by incorporating a series of walewise extending elastic gripper yarns in selected wales of each fabric blank,

(b) cutting each blank to provide each blank with two spaced coursewise extending cut edges and two spaced walewise extending cut edges, the two walewise extending cut edges each intersecting the coursewise extending cut edges, one said walewise extending cut edge being disposed within the stocking gripper band,

(c) slitting each fabric blank substantially coursewise,

approximately midway between said coursewise extending cut edges, to provide opposing cut edges, said slit extending from the cut edge within the stocking gripper band for a distance sufiic-ient to provide enough fabric on either side thereof for a leg and then (d) superimposing said pair of blanks with their corresponding cut edges contiguous and joining the blanks together by attaching their contiguous cut edges to each other.

4. A method of manufacturing a girdle for frictionally supporting stockings, said girdle having a top and a crotch, comprising:

(a) knitting a pair of flat warp fabric blanks, said knitting including the step of forming in each blank a walewise extending stocking gripper band by incorporating a series of walewise extending elastic gripper yarns in selected wales of each fabric blank,

(b) cutting each blank to provide each blank with two spaced coursewise extending cut edges and two spaced walewise extending cut edges, the two walewise extending cut edges each intersecting the coursewise extending cut edges, one said walewise extend ing cut edge being disposed within the stocking gripper band,

(c) superimposing the two fabric blanks so that their corresponding cut edges are contiguous,

(d) forming the superimposed fabric blanks into a body portion by attaching their contiguous coursewise extending cut edges for a distance equal to that between the top of the girdle to be made and the crotch thereof, whereby the remaining portions of said edges remain unattached and (e) forming leg portions by attaching the remaining unattached coursewise extending cut edges of the first blank to each other and attaching the remaining unattached coursewise'extending edges of the second blank to each other.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,465,757 9/1969 Barg 2-240 X 3,478,748 11/1969 Bjorn-Larsen 2240 X 3,487,662 1/1970 Safrit et al. 66177 X 3,511,245 5/1970 Jaggers, Jr. 2240 X 2,231,434 2/1941 Cantner 66172 E 2,469,134 5/1949 Seiler 66177 2,910,853 11/1959 Howard 66193 3,077,758 2/1963 Siciliano 66192 3,122,906 3/1964 Crawford 66172 E 3,238,747 3/1966 Faust 66176 3,249,110 5/1966 Bryan 128-519 3,253,599 5/ 1966 Bjorn-Larsen 2-240 XR 3,359,571 12/1967 Burke 2240 X 3,392,553 7/1968 Burleson 66172 E 3,465,756 9/1969 Inman 2240 3,566,619 3/1971 Titone 66177 WM. CART'ER REYNOLDS, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,625,029 Dated December 7, 1971 Inventor(s) Sam c Safrlt et a1 It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 3, line 70, after "top" insert of Column 5,

lines 9 and 10, delete these lines and substitute porting a stocking, said band comprising elastic frictional gripper yarn laid in said warp fabric and extending circumferentially of said band.

Signed and sealed this 4th day of July 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patnts Q 05. GOVEIINIENY PRINTING OFFICI llll 0-IOG-lll. 

